Author
Topic: What does a bike look like? (Read 13912 times)

Here is a real serious, down to earth question for everyone that's been moaning on and on about how they want a proper or "real" looking bmx bike. What does that look like? Does it mean all straight tubes? Is there a certain standover height that should be adhered to or is it a loose guideline based on aesthetics? Are there brakes on this bike? Mounts even? What color should it be? How long should the top tube and rear end be?

Now which angles do you want? 75? 74.5? Shallow? Steep? Christ now you have to figure out the seat tube angle and god dammit it's such a headache!

When you get this frame, what kind of bars do you run? Do you stick with something two piece? A lot of people ran castillo style four piece bars, so are those allowed?

For all you old school guys, what about those peregrine Q bars? Would those be acceptable? Do you really need that extra cross bar?

Now do you want small pegs, or large pegs? If you want a bike that looks like your average street set up, you might want to run small. But wait, I know a lot of guys like the larger tree pegs, so I guess we should count those too.

What about drive train? For a great proportion of the time BMX has been around people ran pretty large chainwheels, so what should the minimum/maximum be in order to meet the criteria of a "real" looking bike? Really small like all the street riders are using or something from the good old days like a 36 or 44 tooth?

Going by what I've read on here lately, I would assume a "real" bmx bike would look like something the street riders would ride were they all midgets with shorter than average top tubes (for a bmx bike) and two piece bars. Most likely your frame won't have brakes attached to it, because that seems to be the standard for most street bikes that I see romping around cities and skateparks. So basically, you're trying to get a bike that looks a lot like what street riders are riding in order to meet some predetermined aesthetic of what a "real" bike looks like but hell let's finish what we started and bring this puppy home.

Since you are concerned about how the bike looks in relation to how this mythical, almost Platonic "form" that exists somewhere in heaven mirroring our lowly rides in elegant simplicity then I'm sure you must care about what you wear while you ride it. So what does a real rider look like?

Vast majority of street riders I've seen in videos, and in person, wear very tight jeans. So you might as well throw down the 50 bucks for a pair of Levi's skinny jeans, and maybe even consider investing in some Nikes or some Vans while you're at it. Yeah people run the odd Etnies or DC every now and then, but the vast majority of people that I saw at the last street contest I was at wore Levi's and Nikes, occasionally sporting some hi top vans with even TIGHTER jeans and spiked black hair. Really it's all personal preference as long as the form of your calves is clearly visible in your shadow while clothed.

So if you're going to wear these tight jeans and nikes while you are riding your "real" bike, you might want to think about what you are going to wear on your head since there are a lot of "real" riders who like to wear hats whilst tricking and what have you. Oh no big guy I see you reaching for that flex fit, put it down. Wrap some measuring tape around your massive noggin and get yourself set up with a new era. It doesn't have to be BMX specific because real riders don't care about the brand of their fitted, but if you're from the east coast a Philly/NYC themed hat might be nice with the west coast sporting LA respectively. If you're from the midwest I don't know what you have out there besides pastures and cowboys to I guess hats are up to you to figure out... as long as they are fitted.

I want people to think about what they mean by a "real" bmx bike the next time they want to step up and bitch about what riders with years of experience and preference want out of a frame, because any notion of "real" bmx is not only utterly absurd, it's exactly what so many of the same people that rail on about being "real" are against in the first place: gimmicks and trends.

So stop acting like a bunch of crotchety 15 year old street riders waiting to hop on to the "realness" trend because you're no better than they are except most of them are comfortable with the notion of wearing fitted clothing which is still something a plethora of you all have yet to come to terms with.

an original bmx bike to me would be the simple two triangle construction. It is obvious that this is the base from wich every bmx bike has been built. Even the Malysian frame we talked so much about, to rotation product frame, has been built around the two triangle construction.

The first bike i had in 1982 was a simple two triangle construction. Since that time i had lots of strange frames like the KHE lagger. Now i am back on a more simple looking frame.

It is probably the trend right now. People who don't follow trends see it often as something very negative. I don't think following trends is negative, i think it is more about accepting your part of humanity and the fact that you want to copy what you have seen, it is only normal that you want to look like the persons you look up to. That's why some wear skinny jeans at some point. I wear tighter jeans and to me they look like real pants.

I can only imagine that some of this has stemmed from some of what TJ and I discussed last night on FB. I'm not going to argue about anything nor should you look to far into any opinion, including mine but.... No one has the right to tell you how to look, how to ride, or what to ride. Its kinda like telling someone their music is bad and precede to tell them they should, or need to, listen to your music. Really? Who the F### do you think you are? Obviously there are some starting points to a aesthetically beneficial setup; however, keep in mind that each of us is different and more emphasis should be placed on practice. Take care - Aaron

No one has the right to tell you how to look, how to ride, or what to ride. Its kinda like telling someone their music is bad and precede to tell them they should, or need to, listen to your music. Really? Who the F### do you think you are? Obviously there are some starting points to a aesthetically beneficial setup; however, keep in mind that each of us is different and more emphasis should be placed on practice. Take care - Aaron

Here is a real serious, down to earth question for everyone that's been moaning on and on about how they want a proper or "real" looking bmx bike. What does that look like? Does it mean all straight tubes? Is there a certain standover height that should be adhered to or is it a loose guideline based on aesthetics? Are there brakes on this bike? Mounts even? What color should it be? How long should the top tube and rear end be?

Now which angles do you want? 75? 74.5? Shallow? Steep? Christ now you have to figure out the seat tube angle and god dammit it's such a headache!

When you get this frame, what kind of bars do you run? Do you stick with something two piece? A lot of people ran castillo style four piece bars, so are those allowed?

For all you old school guys, what about those peregrine Q bars? Would those be acceptable? Do you really need that extra cross bar?

Now do you want small pegs, or large pegs? If you want a bike that looks like your average street set up, you might want to run small. But wait, I know a lot of guys like the larger tree pegs, so I guess we should count those too.

What about drive train? For a great proportion of the time BMX has been around people ran pretty large chainwheels, so what should the minimum/maximum be in order to meet the criteria of a "real" looking bike? Really small like all the street riders are using or something from the good old days like a 36 or 44 tooth?

Going by what I've read on here lately, I would assume a "real" bmx bike would look like something the street riders would ride were they all midgets with shorter than average top tubes (for a bmx bike) and two piece bars. Most likely your frame won't have brakes attached to it, because that seems to be the standard for most street bikes that I see romping around cities and skateparks. So basically, you're trying to get a bike that looks a lot like what street riders are riding in order to meet some predetermined aesthetic of what a "real" bike looks like but hell let's finish what we started and bring this puppy home.

Since you are concerned about how the bike looks in relation to how this mythical, almost Platonic "form" that exists somewhere in heaven mirroring our lowly rides in elegant simplicity then I'm sure you must care about what you wear while you ride it. So what does a real rider look like?

Vast majority of street riders I've seen in videos, and in person, wear very tight jeans. So you might as well throw down the 50 bucks for a pair of Levi's skinny jeans, and maybe even consider investing in some Nikes or some Vans while you're at it. Yeah people run the odd Etnies or DC every now and then, but the vast majority of people that I saw at the last street contest I was at wore Levi's and Nikes, occasionally sporting some hi top vans with even TIGHTER jeans and spiked black hair. Really it's all personal preference as long as the form of your calves is clearly visible in your shadow while clothed.

So if you're going to wear these tight jeans and nikes while you are riding your "real" bike, you might want to think about what you are going to wear on your head since there are a lot of "real" riders who like to wear hats whilst tricking and what have you. Oh no big guy I see you reaching for that flex fit, put it down. Wrap some measuring tape around your massive noggin and get yourself set up with a new era. It doesn't have to be BMX specific because real riders don't care about the brand of their fitted, but if you're from the east coast a Philly/NYC themed hat might be nice with the west coast sporting LA respectively. If you're from the midwest I don't know what you have out there besides pastures and cowboys to I guess hats are up to you to figure out... as long as they are fitted.

I want people to think about what they mean by a "real" bmx bike the next time they want to step up and bitch about what riders with years of experience and preference want out of a frame, because any notion of "real" bmx is not only utterly absurd, it's exactly what so many of the same people that rail on about being "real" are against in the first place: gimmicks and trends.

So stop acting like a bunch of crotchety 15 year old street riders waiting to hop on to the "realness" trend because you're no better than they are except most of them are comfortable with the notion of wearing fitted clothing which is still something a plethora of you all have yet to come to terms with.

Dayuummnn! TJ is so intelligent. That was such a thought-provoking post!. Just when i thought TJ couldn't get anymore intellectual, his brilliance is once again left me speechless.

Here is a real serious, down to earth question for everyone that's been moaning on and on about how they want a proper or "real" looking bmx bike. What does that look like? Does it mean all straight tubes? Is there a certain standover height that should be adhered to or is it a loose guideline based on aesthetics? Are there brakes on this bike? Mounts even? What color should it be? How long should the top tube and rear end be?

Now which angles do you want? 75? 74.5? Shallow? Steep? Christ now you have to figure out the seat tube angle and god dammit it's such a headache!

When you get this frame, what kind of bars do you run? Do you stick with something two piece? A lot of people ran castillo style four piece bars, so are those allowed?

For all you old school guys, what about those peregrine Q bars? Would those be acceptable? Do you really need that extra cross bar?

Now do you want small pegs, or large pegs? If you want a bike that looks like your average street set up, you might want to run small. But wait, I know a lot of guys like the larger tree pegs, so I guess we should count those too.

What about drive train? For a great proportion of the time BMX has been around people ran pretty large chainwheels, so what should the minimum/maximum be in order to meet the criteria of a "real" looking bike? Really small like all the street riders are using or something from the good old days like a 36 or 44 tooth?

Going by what I've read on here lately, I would assume a "real" bmx bike would look like something the street riders would ride were they all midgets with shorter than average top tubes (for a bmx bike) and two piece bars. Most likely your frame won't have brakes attached to it, because that seems to be the standard for most street bikes that I see romping around cities and skateparks. So basically, you're trying to get a bike that looks a lot like what street riders are riding in order to meet some predetermined aesthetic of what a "real" bike looks like but hell let's finish what we started and bring this puppy home.

Since you are concerned about how the bike looks in relation to how this mythical, almost Platonic "form" that exists somewhere in heaven mirroring our lowly rides in elegant simplicity then I'm sure you must care about what you wear while you ride it. So what does a real rider look like?

Vast majority of street riders I've seen in videos, and in person, wear very tight jeans. So you might as well throw down the 50 bucks for a pair of Levi's skinny jeans, and maybe even consider investing in some Nikes or some Vans while you're at it. Yeah people run the odd Etnies or DC every now and then, but the vast majority of people that I saw at the last street contest I was at wore Levi's and Nikes, occasionally sporting some hi top vans with even TIGHTER jeans and spiked black hair. Really it's all personal preference as long as the form of your calves is clearly visible in your shadow while clothed.

So if you're going to wear these tight jeans and nikes while you are riding your "real" bike, you might want to think about what you are going to wear on your head since there are a lot of "real" riders who like to wear hats whilst tricking and what have you. Oh no big guy I see you reaching for that flex fit, put it down. Wrap some measuring tape around your massive noggin and get yourself set up with a new era. It doesn't have to be BMX specific because real riders don't care about the brand of their fitted, but if you're from the east coast a Philly/NYC themed hat might be nice with the west coast sporting LA respectively. If you're from the midwest I don't know what you have out there besides pastures and cowboys to I guess hats are up to you to figure out... as long as they are fitted.

I want people to think about what they mean by a "real" bmx bike the next time they want to step up and bitch about what riders with years of experience and preference want out of a frame, because any notion of "real" bmx is not only utterly absurd, it's exactly what so many of the same people that rail on about being "real" are against in the first place: gimmicks and trends.

So stop acting like a bunch of crotchety 15 year old street riders waiting to hop on to the "realness" trend because you're no better than they are except most of them are comfortable with the notion of wearing fitted clothing which is still something a plethora of you all have yet to come to terms with.

Dayuummnn! TJ is so intelligent. That was such a thought-provoking post!. Just when i thought TJ couldn't get anymore intellectual, his brilliance is once again left me speechless.